Exhibit of Pre-Colonial Artifacts from Mindanao Ongoing at FASGI Bayanihan Center

LOS ANGELES 15 March 2023 – A one-of-a-kind exhibit of Philippine pre-colonial artifacts from the Von dem Hagen collection opened on 07 March 2023, at the Bayanihan Center of the Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) in Historic Filipinotown.  The artifacts, which are made of limestone and were used as secondary burial vessels, originated from Cotabato, and are believed to have been crafted between 1,000 to 2,800.

In introducing the exhibit, Philippine Consul General to Los Angeles Edgar B. Badajos highlighted the extreme importance of the artifacts in establishing the existence of an indigenous, civilized society with its own norms and traditions long before the arrival of colonizers in the Philippines. 

Ms. Yey Coronel, Executive Director of FASGI, and Ms. Celina Duffy, Acting Board Chair, took the opportunity to thank FASGI’s partners, particularly the Von dem Hagen family, in making the exhibit possible so that Filipino-Americans can have the opportunity to see them and take pride in their cultural heritage.

Also present were Ms. Antoinette von dem Hagen and Mr. Peter von dem Hagen, children of the late Ms. Sally von dem Hagen, who was the collection’s original owner. Ms. Antoinette von dem Hagen recalled how their mother came upon the artifacts, which were sold to her by local Manobo communities in the 1970s, and how, recognizing their cultural and historical significance, she wanted them to be kept together.

Dr. Stephen Acabado of the UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies and Archaeology Interdepartmental Program, answered questions from guests and discussed the plans for the artifacts going forward, which includes a bigger exhibition to be held in 2024 at UCLA’s Fowler Museum prior to the artifacts’ repatriation to the Philippines, where they have ultimately been donated by the Von Dem Hagen family to the National Museum of the Philippines.

The exhibit is presented by FASGI, the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, the UCLA Program for Early Modern Southeast Asia, the UCLA Southeast Asian Archaeology Lab, the Von dem Hagen family, Ethel G. Rubio & Associates, Kultura Philippine Folk Arts, Asian Journal, Fiesta Fastfood, Auntie Dee’s, and the Filipino American Community of Los Angeles.

The exhibit is open to the public until further notice. END

For more information, visit https://www.philippineconsulatela.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinLA/.